The SPJIMR PGPM program
The SPJIMR PGPM application and interview process is both challenging and comprehensive. Over the years, the PGPM program for experienced professionals has become a very popular option among MBA applicants with 5 or more years of experience. Meant for professionals who are seeking early to mid career options with some experience, this 1-year program (with an additional 3 month pre-joining web learning component) is meant to create top industry-ready professionals for lateral hiring.
SP Jain PGPM admissions and applications
The admissions process for the SP Jain PGPM program is multi-layered. In the first, almost preliminary stage, applicants fill out a basic form along with their professional and academic details, and two essays. Within a few days, if shortlisted, they are required appear for an admissions interview.
This interview process is quite detailed, involving a deep dive into the professional profile and aspirations of the applicant. It involves probing on both the personal (individual) and professional (work related) aspects. In this way, SPJIMR has created a rigorous and thorough selection process for the PGPM.
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SPJIMR PGPM admissions and deadlines
The SP Jain PGPM follows a rolling admissions process. Applicants usually hear back on their status for selection for the interview (the pre-selection stage) in around 2 weeks after they apply. Thereafter they must prepare for the interviews.
The deadline for application submission is usually July 31 every year. Please note that applicants have the further leeway to submit their GMAT score by August 31. Applications can be submitted without the score mentioned, and it must be updated latest by August 31 to be considered for admissions that year.
SP Jain PGPM interviews – how to prepare
The SP Jain interview is quite a thorough process. It touches upon not just the professional and personal details of the applicant, but also attempt to analyze one’s ability to excel in a post-MBA environment. The emphasis is on how one thinks, rather than only on what one has done.
SP Jain’s PGPM Program has two sets of interviews. The first one is the technical evaluation of your intellect and knowing further about the information provided by you in the application. This includes academics, internships, work experience, why MBA, etc. Once you clear this round, the second part is more of a mental evaluation to assess your managerial skills, leadership aspect, result-oriented approach, and the likes. It can be a bit stressful, but if you clear it, it is equally rewarding. Of course, a good GMAT score matters too.
Here is some advice on how to prepare for the interviews:
– Professional competence: SP Jain wants to have as good an idea as possible of what you plan to do post-MBA. For this reason, it asks specific questions on not just post-MBA goals, but also current skills that relate to those goals. Be diligent here and do not list generic things such as exposure to the corporate environment.
Go deep and introspect on the hard skills relevant to the future; then provide detail on each of these skills. Be sure to highlight skills that are relevant to your post-MBA career. For example, you might be an excellent coder, but that may not be relevant to a post-MBA career in consulting.
– Maturity and decision-making: Unlike most other schools, SP Jain delves into some personal details as well ( around adversity faced in life, facing failure, and ethical issues). The purpose of these is to not just understand circumstances, but also to see how you think.
How do you face failure? How do you interact with others? Can you stand up for the values that you believe in while also keeping your organization’s interests in mind? These are only some questions to be answered, and they must be done with introspection and reasoning, not by simply listing out what happened and what you did.
– Leadership at work and beyond: SP Jain as an institution cares about what you have achieved at work, but also about how you have achieved it. Similarly, it looks for evidence of leadership within and outside a professional context.
As an institution, SP Jain is highly focused on ethics and leadership apart from training great managers. Take care that this aspect must therefore not act as your Achilles’ heel. Remember also that social contribution is not necessarily only about NGO work or CSR contribution.
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SP Jain PGPM interviews – the process
The SP Jain PGPM interviews are unusual in the sense that they focus not just on goals and experience, but also on competence. One could argue that experienced candidates don’t really need to be quizzed on areas related to fundamentals, but SP Jain doesn’t agree. However, expect the discussion to be very professional and not condescending or meaningless at any time.
– To prepare, know yourself very well. It is not enough to just state what you did. Know why you did it and explain the logic behind it. Know thyself, and know SP Jain in depth.
– Your resume is an important document for you to refer to here. Not because SP Jain will conduct the interview based on your resume, but because your resume provides you with a quick snapshot of what all you must know. SP Jain likes to delve into details, and if asked for some, it will not suffice to say that a project was dated or that you have forgotten the detail of the contribution you made to a certain event or initiative.
– General awareness, especially that related to your industry is also a must for SP Jain interviews. Be aware of what is happening, but go beyond it – be ready to analyze, debate, and discuss on some of the points. If you are a competent professional in your own industry, this shouldn’t really require much preparation.
– Finally, remember to always be polite, calm, and composed. You will be challenged at multiple points of the process, and losing your temper or even just your demeanor could mean falling below the expected standards of mature behavior as expected by SPJIMR.
Want to check out more on SP Jain MBA?
SP Jain PGPM Admissions Application
SP Jain MBA Interview Questions and Experience
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